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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · perch · patient · lash · bowl · swing · lie · arm

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lie — to recline
  8. swing — in golf
  9. kick — in football
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. swing — music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com